If anything, former India head coach Rahul Dravid’s calm demeanor, normally seen on the field, came out in an entirely different avatar following India’s thrilling seven-run victory over South Africa in the final of T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados. Normally sedate, the 51-year-old couldn’t conceal his emotions and celebrated wildly with the trophy. Normally never one who relishes being in the spotlight, when Virat Kohli handed him the trophy, Dravid couldn’t hold himself back and let his feelings burst forth in obvious exhilaration over the hard-won win.
Dravid explained that his celebration was spontaneous, from a sense of genuine happiness for the team’s victory. He further went on to say that he normally kept his emotions in check, but he felt like joining in the celebration with the players and his coaching staff, acknowledging the effort that everyone—individually and collectively—had put in to see them through.
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“You don’t plan these things. Most of the times, I try to keep my emotions in check as a coach, and you are expected to do that. But at that time, I just felt really happy for the team, for the boys, for the support staff. So many people had worked really hard along with me,” Rahul Dravid told Star Sports.
ಟಿ20 ವಿಶ್ವಕಪ್ ಗೆಲುವಿನ ಅದ್ಭುತ ಕ್ಷಣಗಳನ್ನು ಹಂಚಿಕೊಂಡ ರಾಹುಲ್ ದ್ರಾವಿಡ್… 🏏❤️#TeamIndia #T20WorldCup #RahulDravid #StarSportsKannada pic.twitter.com/Komx7urpIE
— Star Sports Kannada (@StarSportsKan) August 6, 2024
He also added that luck plays a major role in winning global tournaments. He remembered the near misses of India in recent times, be it the loss in the semis of T20 World Cup 2022 against England, the defeat at the hands of Australia in the final of the World Test Championship, and the heartbreaking loss in the ODI World Cup final in 2023. He said he was relieved and satisfied that they finally broke through in the T20 World Cup 2024, despite not being able to win those big moments.
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“I had been with the team for a period of 2.5-3 years, and we had got close a few times, be it the semi-finals of the last T20 World Cup in Australia, the World Test Championship final, or the 50-over World Cup final in India. We were not able to cross that line in those big moments.”. You do need that little bit of luck, a bit of destiny to work your way in these situations, and that day it was with us,” Rahul Dravid reflected.
Dravid’s celebration showed how high the pressure and toiling really gets in order to become successful at the highest level, how big an occasion it is when finally one succeeds in beating the odds to join the podium of world champions.
